I joined the Boy Scouts when I was 11 and have been camping and
backpacking ever since. I like to do challenging trips ranging from week long to
weekend in mountainous areas. I would classify my gear as mid weight although
now I am trying to move more toward lightweight. I now go backpacking at least
once a year in the Sierra
Nevada Mountains as well as monthly car camping
trips with the Scouts.

- Initial Condition: The product arrived in new
condition complete with retail packaging

Initial Report -
5-Jan-2010

Product Description:

These socks are
anatomically shaped and have been designed for cold weather performance.
The socks are made of three layers: an outer layer of Polartec Power
Stretch, a middle layer of Primaloft, and an inner layer of Polartec Power
Stretch. Primaloft insulation is soft, lightweight, breathable, and has
excellent water repellency.

First impressions:

I received the socks in new condition, packaged in a colorful cardboard
sock wrapper. On the packaging there was lots of information on what the socks
are made of and why they are special. The packaging also states the size of the
socks and the protection level they qualify as. After looking at the website for
colors, I expected the socks to look lighter grey than they do. The socks have
fleece lining on the inside bottom which feels nice but somewhat slippery on my
feet. This provides good cushioning for my entire foot.

I tried the socks on the same night I received them. However the
packaging said that they were for shoe sizes US 9.5  12.5. The toe box on these
socks is a little big. If I try to pull the socks on tighter, then the heel sits
above my heel and makes a lump. If I dont pull them on tighter, the toe box
bunches around my toes when I put my shoe on. I need to play with them more to
determine if there is a workaround for this. I wore the socks around the house
that night, they were comfortable. I could feel the extra padding on the sole as
I walked on our tile and hardwood floors. The fabric on the bottom of the sock
seems to be nice and thick, providing lots of padding.

The band at the top of the socks did a good job of holding the socks up
on my initial walk around the house. It does not feel too tight or start to slip
down. I did notice that if I did not pull the socks all the way over my calf,
they would start to slip down.

All the seams on the socks are sewn in such a way as to be flat. When
wearing the socks I could not feel any of the seams. I inspected the seams and
they are all well sewn and do not provide any protrusions. There are seams in
the heel, toe, ankle, and instep area.

These are some comfortable socks, my only concern at this point is the
excess are in the toe box. I look forward to getting some testing done out on the trail.

Field Report -
16-Mar-10

Field Conditions:

I have worn these socks many places, around the house, snowboarding, and
backpacking through the snow.

I got in two good long days of testing these socks
snowboarding in Tahoe, Californiaelevation
6,330  8,610 ft (1,929 to 2,624m). The climate was sunny but cold with a slight
wind 28 53 F (-2.2 to 11.7 C). The terrain was mountainous with trees, lots
of snow, and ice.

I got also used these socks on a 3 day 2 night
backpacking trip in Ventana Wilderness area in Big Sur, California. The
elevation ranged from 3,000  5,000 ft (914  1,524 m) and the temperature ranged
from 31  60 F (0  15.6 C). It was overcast most of the time with nightly fog.
It hailed and rained for several hours one night during this testing period. The
area was mountainous with thick brush and few trees. Due to a fire that went
through the area a couple of years ago, there were a lot of dead trees and
brush.

Field use:

The first thing about these socks that comes to mind when
I grab them is to remember that they have a specific foot that each sock was
created for. The toe box is cut in the direction of the toes, from largest to
smallest. This seems to be less of an ergonomic thing and more for the reason
that fleece does not stretch that much. Without a specific cut for each foot
there would be a lot more material bunching up by my toes.

When I first received the socks I wore them around the house for the rest
of the night and then to bed. The
reason I wore them to bed was to see if the cuff would restrict my circulation
while I was sleeping and if the cuff would stay up. They were comfortable and
did not make my feet feel constricted or restrict the blood flow to my feet. The
cuff also stayed up above my calf all night and did not slip down, in my opinion
thats a pretty good balance between firmness and comfort.

I also wore the socks on two separate snowboarding trips.
Snowboarding is a good test for socks since my feet would be cramped into my
moist boots all day in the cold. This is a good indication of how the socks
perform as insulators since I was not wearing any other socks. The fleece felt
good to my feet and provided additional cushion and insulation. Initially when I
put the socks on the toe box scrunched up in my boot, it required a little
pulling and twisting in order to get the sock tight and comfortable. Even when I
pull the socks tight, there is extra material in the toe box that needs to go
somewhere.

I wore these socks while hiking through several inches of snow in the
Ventana Wilderness area. I also wore a pair of thin nylon socks under these as a
liner to keep from getting blisters. When pulling my boots on, I had to pull the socks
tighter and reach into my hiking boot to adjust where the socks bunched. Once I
got them situated and my boots laced up I did not have any discomfort while I
was hiking. During some of the longer snowy stretches, my thighs started to get
cold but from the knee down I was toasty warm.

Fit - I have
size 10.5 (US) feet and the socks fit me somewhat loosely, I can pull them
tighter but then the heel contour is above my heel and the toe box still has
loose material in it. All the seams in the socks are well made and do not have
any large lumps or extra material to rub into my foot. The outside of sock is
not fleece but some other fabric that protects the sock from abrasion and
picking. I am also hard on the heels of socks usually rubbing a hole in them
eventually. These socks have held up well to use so far, I will continue to
watch how these areas wear as the test continues.

Moisture -
When hiking was over for the day I was getting ready to go to bed, I changed
my socks for a new pair. The socks I took off were slightly moist but did not
feel damp or cold. It looks like the socks are keeping the moisture in
check.

Washing 
Washing the socks has not deteriorated the fleece, fabric, or the elastic in the
cuffs. The socks are still as snug fitting and stay up over my calves just as
when I got them out of the package. Thus far I have not found any runs, picks,
or fuzzing after they get washed and dried. I have not tried washing them by
hand and hanging them out to dry to see how easy they wash and dry in the field
yet.

Long term Report -
18-May-10

Field Conditions:

I recently wore these sock on a 3 day 2 night car camping
trip in Prunedale, California.The elevation was 92 - 150ft (28 - 46 m). The weather was overcast with some moisture
in the air during the morning and night. The temperature fluctuated between 49 F
(9.4 C) at night to 60 F (15.6 C) in the
daytime.

In total I have worn these socks a total of 12 times during my testing
period. I have found that wearing these socks hiking was comfortable and warm in
cold weather. Wearing them to bed was also comfortable. But wearing them
snowboarding turned out to be a problem because the fleece is slick and would
allow my heel to slip up and down in the back of my boot. So other than
activities where I need my feet anchored in place, these socks do a good
job.

Below you
will find a list of questions that I planned to answer after my test was
complete and my answers to them.

Dependability:

Does the elastic in the socks lose its elasticity over a
short time?

- No

Do the socks resist
snagging?

- Yes, I did
not have any issues with snags on the sock material

Is the
heel reinforced well enough to keep the material from wearing
thin?

- I hiked for a couple of days in these socks and the heels still look
good

If the socks get wet will they start to
degrade?

- I did not
get these socks completely soaked but my feet did sweat in them, the extra
moisture did not cause any issues

Efficiency:

Do the socks help keep me from getting
blisters?

-
Yes they provided good cushioning and moisture wicking for my
feet

Do the socks provide some level of cushioning for my
feet?

-
Yes the fleece did provide a good cushion for my
feet

Will the socks still keep my feet warm even if they get
wet?

-
Yes, even when moist and hiking in the snow my feet did not get
cold

Do the socks provide enough air circulation to keep my
feet dry during hard hot hikes?

-
Yes, the socks are breathable

Do the socks keep the foot odor
down?

-
Always a tough one, but I did not notice an odorous smell even after
snowboarding all day.

Ease of Use:

Are the socks easy to pull on and
adjust?

-
Easy to pull on, yes.Are they easy
to adjust? Not so much. The large toe box makes stuffing my foot into my shoe
without the sock bunching somewhat of a challenge

This concludes my report series. Thank you to Lorpen and BackpackGearTest
for the opportunity to test these socks.

Product tested and reviewed in each Formal Test Report has been provided free of charge by the manufacturer to BackpackGearTest.org. Upon completion of the Test Series the writer is permitted to keep the product. Owner Reviews are based on product owned by the reviewer personally unless otherwise noted.